I absolutely love this book! View from the Floor is such a delightful book that even after reading it 2 times, I still find it shakes me with its honesty and its superb writing style. Kate Berger speaks in a clear and strong voice throughout and shares generously with the reader. If you have ever […]
View from the Floor- Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: A Patient’s Perspective Read More »
Although psychogenic seizures are definitely not a new disorder and are certainly a grave and often severely disabling health problem, there are painfully few new research studies that examine novel treatment options that might benefit persons suffering from PNES. So, I was especially pleased when I heard about this new project that is being conducted
This won’t be a surprise to many patients who have been diagnosed with PNES but some of you may be astonished to read: Very little if anything. Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures can go misdiagnosed for an average of 7.2 years.1 In an attempt to remedy this devastating delay, the National Association of Epilepsy Centers-NAEC has established
Today’s blog is the result of a profound series of conversations I recently had with someone. We were talking about a harmful emotion that can result from experiencing abuse: Hatred. Hatred is different than anger. Anger is an emotion. It is, like all other emotions; it’s neither right or wrong nor good or bad. It
This weekend, I was reading a paper by Dr. Gaston Baslet and his colleagues (Treatment of Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: Updated review and findings from our mindfulness-based intervention case series, 2014 Clinical EEG and Neuroscience). On page 9 the authors discuss something that was not the main topic of the paper, but that struck me as worthy
Challenges in the management of Psychogenic seizures: Are we playing a role in this? Read More »
The condition of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures has for a very long time been a bit of an orphan in the health field. It can take up to seven years on average to receive the right diagnosis and even once it is made, too often the patients experience a “ping pong effect” of being referred from
A month ago, we were still in the throes of planning our first conference on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES). We had PNES brochures printed up, we had ordered many copies of “Psychogenic non-epileptic Seizures: A Guide” to give out at the registration desk, we had purple and teal charms ready, and all our speakers were
A historic meeting in Mahwah, NJ shines a light on psychogenic non-epileptic seizures Read More »
Patients diagnosed with PNES sometimes share with me that they have encountered people who seem to think that they should be able to stop the seizures by somehow willing them away. Those who hold this erroneous belief are not only from the general public but also health professionals (e.g. emergency medical personnel, doctors and nurses
Why can’t you just stop having these Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNESs)? Read More »
The year 2014 has been very important for the raising of awareness and education about psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES). On January, Psychogenic Non-epileptic Seizures: A Guide was published and has now sold almost 400 copies. Some patients and family members decided to share this book with their neurologists and mental health professionals and wrote me
Even though psychogenic disorders, including psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) have been around for centuries, they continue to be the subject of ignorance and stigma. Often, the general public as well as health professionals (including emergency medical personnel, neurologists, and mental health professionals) do not understand them and can end up making things worse. Patients and
